Morning Coffee (8/1/19)

Rwanda closes border with DRC over deadly Ebola outbreak

Hamza bin Laden Sought to Continue His Father’s Terrorism Legacy

The Senate confirms Kelly Craft as the new UN ambassador

GOOD: Federal Judge Won't Dismiss Challenge To N.H. Voting Law

Ohio just passed the worst energy bill of the 21st century

War on science: Trump administration muzzles climate experts, critics say

Scott Walker admits it: Former Wisconsin governor argues votes in metropolitan areas shouldn't count as much as votes in rural areas

Hal Prince, Giant of Broadway and Reaper of Tonys, Dies at 91

Just one supportive adult cuts the chance an LGBTQ youth will attempt suicide by 40%

‘Roman Biro’ – complete with joke – found at London building site

Morning Coffee (7/20/19)

SOME GOOD NEWS: New Law Offers Anti-Discrimination Protection For N.H. Public School Students

Trump says US Navy destroyed Iranian drone

...of course: Trump to nominate Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court justice, as his next secretary of Labor

Great column from Jamelle Bouie: Trump Voters Are Not the Only Voters

EPA will not ban use of controversial pesticide linked to children’s health problems

The House just passed a $15 minimum wage. It would be the first increase in a decade.

Catholics in Iowa went to church. Steve Bannon tracked their phones.

The new Veronica Mars is STREAMING NOW, this is not a drill!

Yay! Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! Musical Will Release a Cast Recording in the Fall

Heh: The Other CBD: Christian Book Distributors Changes Name After Cannabis Confusion

Afternoon Tea (7/19/19)

Why 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Author Casey McQuiston Loves Making Birth Charts For Her Characters

This about the process of getting rights to all those songs was fascinating: How Can ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ Upstage the Movie? With 70 Songs

Dear Internet: The Little Mermaid Also Happens to Be Queer Allegory

Van Gogh Painted Many ‘Sunflowers.’ But How Different Are They?

Why a Computer History Museum Owns a Legendary Teapot

Morning Coffee (7/7/19)

Iran Announces New Breach of Nuclear Deal Limits, and Threatens Further Violations

Finally: Jeffrey Epstein, Billionaire Long Accused of Molesting Minors, Is Charged

Democrats Found A Major Recruit To Take On Susan Collins in 2020

Of course: DeVos Repeals Obama-Era Rule Cracking Down on For-Profit Colleges

Lawyers Ask Judge to Order White Nationalist From Keene To Stop Alleged Threats

In male-dominated Afghanistan, justice for women is complicated

Trade War Has Damaged U.S. Chip Industry in Ways a Deal May Never Fix

Neanderthals’ history is as complicated as ours

This seems like a terrible idea! The ‘Les Misérables’ Revolving Stage Is Going. Fans Are in a Spin.

Dracula arrives in first blood-splattered look at Sherlock creators' miniseries

Morning Coffee (6/12/19)

Sudan Protesters, Devastated but Defiant, Regroup Underground After Crackdown

Saudi teenager could face execution for joining protests as child

In case the message wasn't clear enough: Trump Administration to Hold Migrant Children at Base That Served as WWII Japanese Internment Camp

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says photos of travelers were taken in a data breach

This is a great piece: Watching Elizabeth Warren Come Alive

Daughter of Fierce Kavanaugh Defender Amy Chua to Clerk for … Brett Kavanaugh

I'm not SURPRISED at all but it's still sad and disappointing: Vatican says people can’t choose their genders

Awful: Ali Stroker’s Tony Win Was Monumental… And A Huge Slap In The Face

!!! Not Too Little, Too Late: Unfinished Gaudí Basilica Gets Permit 137 Years Later

Egypt tries to stop sale of Tutankhamun statue in London

Morning Coffee (5/23/19)

India election: Modi set for historic landslide victory

Judge rejects Trump’s request to halt congressional subpoenas for his banking records

And: New York Passes Bill Giving Congress a Way to Get Trump’s State Tax Returns

Elizabeth Warren demands additional information from Trump admin on child migrant deaths

A lawmaker asked Carson about foreclosure properties. He thought she was talking about Oreos.

Of COURSE: Harriet Tubman $20 bill no longer coming in 2020: Mnuchin says redesign postponed

Kris Kobach is the worst in so many ways! A Would-Be Trump Aide’s Demands: A Jet on Call, a Future Cabinet Post and More

Would Democrats Restore Roe If Republicans Overturned It?

New report shows 41 million displaced by conflict, tensions

This production sounds so interesting: Daniel Fish’s ‘Oklahoma!’ To Launch North American Tour In Oklahoma

Morning Coffee (3/14/19)

GOOD: California Death Penalty Suspended; 737 Inmates Get Stay of Execution

NOT GOOD: Military Officially Moves to Bar Over 13,700 Transgender Members

New York Charges Manafort With 16 Crimes. If He’s Convicted, Trump Can’t Pardon Him.

Prosecutors Seek Records on Cohen’s ‘Back Channel’ With Giuliani

America’s Defining Divide Isn’t Left vs. Right. It’s Old vs. Young.

‘Safety’ In U.S. Schools Means More Cops And Fewer Counselors

YAYYY, Alaska Native musher Pete Kaiser won the Iditarod!

Oooh: Hugh Jackman to Lead Broadway Revival of 'The Music Man'

Spotify Files Anti-Competition Complaint Against Apple in Europe

Pig Remains Show How Far Prehistoric People Traveled to Visit Stonehenge

Afternoon Tea (3/5/19)

This is fascinating and terrifying: A World Without Clouds

Workism Is Making Americans Miserable

A ‘Tradition’ Omission: I Had Never Seen ‘Fiddler’ Until Now

Yasin Abu Bakr: Leader of Western world's only Islamist coup

11 Books With South Asian Characters You Should Read in 2019

Morning Coffee (2/8/19)

Not that we ever DON'T need Friday happy links, but we REALLY DO this week.

I love this: Rosalind Franklin: Mars rover named after DNA pioneer

There are some great ones this year, including non-binary people and a bunch related to disabilities! 230 New Emojis in Final List for 2019

Aww: San Diego Bookseller Undergoes Surgery, Other Booksellers Keep His Store Open

Michael B. Jordan, Warner Bros. Nab Film Rights to ‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’

Ooh, this Sonja Henie movie looks interesting.

!! Hallmark will now air Christmas movies all year long

How to Make the Best Hot Chocolate From Scratch

Billy Eichner is making a gay rom-com with Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller

LET'S GO: The V&A Unveils Queen Victoria’s Most Precious Jewel

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Lead One-Night ‘Camelot’ Benefit Concert

Morning Coffee (2/4/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Let's start with a story of someone doing something good: Candice Payne Got 30 Hotel Rooms for Homeless People in Chicago During Severe Cold Snap

The Trump-Russia Investigation and the Mafia State

"Among their concerns was that if Mr. Trump won the election and then defaulted, Deutsche Bank would have to choose between not collecting on the debt or seizing the assets of the president of the United States."

Utah Voters Approved Medicaid Expansion At The Ballot Box. The GOP Is Trying To Undo It.

This is awful: Judge says Tampa conversion therapy ban violates First Amendment free-speech rights

WELP: European colonizers killed so many Native Americans that it changed the global climate, researchers say

Oh, how cool: Haagen Dazs, Procter & Gamble to offer reusable containers in Pa., N.J.

Journalist Reminds Twitter Ted Bundy Was A Monster By Honoring His Victims

Olivia Colman and Walton Goggins are doing a thriller about a cult!!!

Interesting idea: ‘Oklahoma!’ To Be Broadway’s First “Gun Neutral” Production As Lauded Musical Joins Hollywood Initiative: Sundance

Morning Coffee (1/27/19)

Nancy Pelosi, a Woman in Control, Is a Rival Who Flummoxes Trump

There are SO MANY THINGS wrong with this: Trump Meets With Hard-Right Group Led by Ginni Thomas

Trump’s Inner Circle Keeps Violating the Stringer Bell Rule

Lawsuits Allege 'Grave Harm' To Immigrant Children In Detention

Let's Stop Coddling White Teenage Boys

Kansas Lawmakers Defect to Democrats as G.O.P. Struggles in Suburbs

Media Can Kick Its Horserace Addiction—And It Must

I am SO SAD: ‘This Could Be the End’ for NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover

Colleges Lose a ‘Stunning’ 651 Foreign-Language Programs in 3 Years

Huh: Melissa Etheridge Prepping Musical ‘Mystic Pizza’ For Stage Delivery

Morning Coffee (1/16/19)

Theresa May loses Brexit deal vote by majority of 230

Redefining Representation: The Women of the 116th Congress

FINALLY: Steve King Removed From Committee Assignments Over White Supremacy Remark

Judge Orders Trump Administration To Remove 2020 Census Citizenship Question

Actually, the Numbers Show That We Need More Immigration, Not Less

Bidding Farewell To 'Hello, Dolly!': Actress Carol Channing Dies At 97

Goodbye, New York. Adam Moss Is Leaving the Magazine He Has Edited for 15 Years.

The research here is interesting: Consider Firing Your Male Broker

This news from my dad's hometown is so sad: Fire Destroys Historic American Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, CT

I am cautiously optimistic: Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Finds Its Maria, Anita, Bernardo & Chino

Morning Coffee (1/10/19)

“Immigrants are coming over the border to kill you” is the only speech Trump knows how to give

Oh look, the only thing he actually cares about: "The response by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer has slightly larger preliminary numbers than the president's address."

Good: Investigators Looking Into Accusations From R. Kelly Documentary

Wow, what a story: Bernice Sandler, ‘Godmother of Title IX,’ Dies at 90

How marginal tax rates actually work, explained with a cartoon

Qanon-Believing Proud Boy Accused of Murdering ‘Lizard’ Brother With Sword

Not good! Democrats Faked Online Push to Outlaw Alcohol in Alabama Race

The Taming of Poland's Far Right

Nobody Is Moving Our Cheese: American Surplus Reaches Record High

Broadway Actors Pushing for Profit-Sharing in Creation of Shows

Morning Coffee (9/10/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Across Afghanistan, Scores Are Killed in a Deadly Wave of Violence

Sweden election: far right makes gains as main blocs deadlocked

This was written before the election but is good background: Sweden Was Long Seen as a ‘Moral Superpower.’ That May Be Changing.

Les Moonves is out at CBS as more sexual misconduct allegations surface

Top Cancer Researcher Fails to Disclose Corporate Financial Ties in Major Research Journals

Huh: Infectious Theory Of Alzheimer's Disease Draws Fresh Interest

The search for alien life needs a new space telescope, astronomers say

Ooh, I'm excited for Vita & Virginia.

New life for historic theatre as it faces up to ‘slave trade’ past

Instagram adds emoji shortcuts for quicker comments

Morning Coffee (9/9/18)

Trump Administration Discussed Coup Plans With Rebel Venezuelan Officers

In liberal Sweden, a party with neo-Nazi origins could become one of the country’s biggest after Sunday’s elections

The 7 most important moments in Obama’s blistering critique of Trump and the GOP

Donald Trump makes the case for his own impeachment

Julia Salazar, the socialist politician accused of lying about her past, explained

Election Season in a Dangerous Democracy

Moroccan authors say teenage rape case hits 'new level of unspeakable'

Sigh: Frozen actor grabs Trump banner from audience member during play

Perfect: Cool! The Dude Who Asked You To Absolve Him of Past Misconduct Is Succeeding While You Recover

Oscars organizers postpone controversial 'popular film' award

Morning Coffee (8/27/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Neil Simon, Broadway Master of Comedy, Is Dead at 91

Horrifying: Nauru self-harm 'contagion' as 12-year-old refugee tries to set herself alight

Trump’s White-Nationalist Pipeline

This is worth reading for far more than the example given in the headline: Climate science proposals are being reviewed by Ryan Zinke’s old football buddy. Seriously.

Russian trolls 'spreading discord' over vaccine safety online

Half of Yeshivas Under Investigation Denied Entry to Education Officials, City Says

Another: In Serial Rape Case That Stumped Police, Genealogy Database Leads to Arrest

Whoa, this is fascinating: A Blended Family: Her Mother Was Neanderthal, Her Father Something Else Entirely

I was wondering when this would happen: Judge Issues "Comic-Con" Injunction

ADULTS TOO: Not all unkindness is bullying. Here’s why we need to teach kids to differentiate.

Morning Coffee (8/25/18)

The Conspiracy Memo About Obama Aides That Circulated in the Trump White House

Reality Winner, Former N.S.A. Translator, Gets More Than 5 Years in Leak of Russian Hacking Report

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg granted immunity in Cohen probe

Oh good: Elections board takes less than a minute to reject proposal to close 7 of 9 polling places in majority-black county

Manafort Jury Holdout Blocked Guilty Verdicts on 10 of 18 Charges, Juror Says

Of course: White House blocks bill that would protect elections

Education Secretary Considers Using Federal Funds to Arm Schools

I know people are making fun of this, but they reacted exactly as they should have! They passed the test! Attempted Hacking of Voter Database Was a False Alarm, Democratic Party Says

In the wake of Mollie Tibbetts’ death, don’t blame immigrants for murder. Blame men.

This is so exciting: Laura Benanti to Join ‘My Fair Lady’ on Broadway

Morning Coffee (8/7/18)

Rick Gates just testified that he committed crimes with Paul Manafort

This isn't SURPRISING but seeing it all laid out there is... big: AP investigation: Yemen war binds US, allies, al-Qaida

Good for them: Transit Union Refuses to Bring White Nationalists to 'Unite the Right' Rally

...of course? Sen. Rand Paul goes to Moscow and invites Russians to Washington in unofficial bid to boost ties

The US has reimposed sanctions on Iran. Here’s what that means.

YouTube Bans InfoWars Following Removals From Apple, Facebook, and Spotify

MoviePass Cuts Plan to Three Movies a Month

I'm so glad Moulin Rouge got a great review in the Times.

The Book Everyone in the Netherlands Is Talking About Is Finally Coming to the U.S.

Indian warrior king's rocket cache found in abandoned well

Weekly Rec: Moulin Rouge

Last weekend I went to see Moulin Rouge in its new stage musical form in Boston, and WOW. It was VERY GOOD. I've only seen the movie once, so I wasn't a huge fan going in, but I loved it anyway. The whole cast was great, and stars Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit completely blew me away. The show kept most of what I liked from the movie and added roughly 3000 additional songs. No, really. Every song is now in this. Particularly delightful were the additions to "Elephant Love Medley" and the new "Bad Romance" sequence. This show is an amazing spectacle - the sets and the costumes are breathtaking, and there are so many of both. But it's also very solid, and the dancing, especially, is truly impressive. And the story is a tragedy, of course, but this version is also extremely funny, and that's a combination that works very well for it.

Of course, this is a pre-Broadway tryout run, and there are some tweaks that are clearly still needed: the pacing feels a bit off in the second act and Satine needs to be sicker earlier. Much as I love Florence, the "Shake It Out" number just doesn't work here. And there's a trans woman character played by a cis man (so far as I've been able to find out) and I really hope they change that.

It's playing through August 19th, so if you're in the Boston area, get on that! Otherwise, watch for it when it makes its way to Broadway.

Afternoon Tea (7/16/18)

What Internment Did to My Family

Andrew Rannells Stands Out

Arden Myrin: “Your Idea Of Comedy Is My Idea Of Creepy”

Junot Díaz and the Problem of the Male Self-Pardon

Why It’s So Hard to Stop Reading Books You Don’t Even Like